Discretionary Advice Service
JNCC offers a Discretionary Advice Service (DAS) to all industries working in UK offshore waters to gain nature conservation advice.
The DAS allows JNCC to fully engage with developers early in the licensing process. This ensures appropriate consideration is given to the environmental impacts of offshore industries at an early stage, thereby contributing to de-risking operations, minimising potentially costly delays later in the licensing process.
The service includes (but is not limited to) nature conservation advice relating to applications early in the licensing process, for example:
- Developer-led informal consultation for environmental statement scoping;
- Decommissioning environmental appraisal scoping;
- Draft decommissioning programmes;
- Updates to draft decommissioning programmes;
- Attending meetings at the request of the developer/ organisation; these include general meetings seeking pre-application advice, specialist advice or targeted meetings (e.g. scoping or comparative assessment meetings).
Note this service does not constitute a Scoping Opinion, for example under the Offshore EIA Regulations. Developers should engage with the relevant regulator and follow associated guidance during the preparation of any environmental submissions to ensure regulatory requirements are met.
The service is chargeable and costs are outlined below. Alternatively, a bespoke DAS service can be created should the request not fit the current DAS template.
If you are unsure whether an advice request is captured by the DAS, please contact us using the email address below.
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How to request our DAS
To request our Discretionary Advice Service (DAS), please complete the DAS request form and follow the instructions for submission within the form. Upon submitting the request you are acknowledging and agreeing with our standard DAS terms and conditions and JNCC's privacy notice.
You will receive a response from JNCC within 10 business days to confirm:
- if the request is eligible;
- to discuss the scope of the works;
- to agree a quote for the service;
- to agree a timetable for the service.
You will then have a further 10 business days to sign and return the agreement back to us, signalling commencement of works can begin. The agreement includes the quotation and scope of work.
If you require a faster turnaround of advice or the meeting date is within a month of the DAS request form submission, please highlight this clearly within the DAS request form and accompanying emails, being certain to include any deadlines associated with turnaround of signed agreements. JNCC will endeavour to accommodate these as best we can but cannot guarantee this.
Costs
Our Discretionary Advice Service (DAS) is set at a fixed charge per type of request, as outlined in the table below. Charges are exclusive of VAT.
| DAS request | Tier one | Tier two |
|
Developer-led consultation on:
JNCC written advice |
£800 | £1,070 |
|
Draft Decommissioning programme JNCC written advice |
£1,600 | £2,140 |
|
Draft Decommissioning programme amendment JNCC written advice |
£700 | £860 |
| Meeting attendance | £200 per hour | £410 per hour |
The tier that the request falls under will be decided by JNCC, based on the complexity of the request submitted. Tier one encompasses 'simple' operations, for example those outside protected sites or that include small-scale operations. Tier two encompasses more complex operations, such as operations within protected sites or larger-scale operations, such as pipeline decommissioning.
Meeting attendance is charged at an hourly rate and is also separated into two tiers depending on the complexity of the request. Tier one allows for attendance by a dedicated case officer, whereas Tier two allows for attendance of a senior manager or specialist alongside the dedicated case officer. JNCC will determine which tier the request falls under upon review of the DAS request form. Where appropriate, travel and subsistence will be quoted for at JNCC standard rates.
JNCC expects to encompass most requests within the set Tier one and Tier two charges. However, in the event that JNCC considers the request to be outside of either tier, we will deviate from the set charges. This will be highlighted and discussed with you prior to quotation.
If you have a query about our Discretionary Advice Service, please contact OIA@jncc.gov.uk.
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